


Camp U.A.

by 3point5, animenerd09, MoonbornChild, Theatrically_scattered



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, M/M, we may take liberties with mythology
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-15 14:04:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13614894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3point5/pseuds/3point5, https://archiveofourown.org/users/animenerd09/pseuds/animenerd09, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonbornChild/pseuds/MoonbornChild, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theatrically_scattered/pseuds/Theatrically_scattered
Summary: 80% of the world’s population has a quirk. This was the new reality. However, only a few people know the truths of how quirks came to be.After all, who believes in gods and their blessings anymore?





	1. humble beginnings

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Nevermore](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12582264) by [AscendedGrace](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AscendedGrace/pseuds/AscendedGrace), [FrenchScreaming](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrenchScreaming/pseuds/FrenchScreaming), [Frostbitex44](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frostbitex44/pseuds/Frostbitex44), [MoonbornChild](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonbornChild/pseuds/MoonbornChild), [Plantsandpaints](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plantsandpaints/pseuds/Plantsandpaints), [Pyrothesis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyrothesis/pseuds/Pyrothesis). 



80% of the world’s population has a quirk. This was the new reality. However, only a few people know the truths of how quirks came to be.

After all, who believes in gods and their blessings anymore? Who would believe that the gods of old were still alive to this very day?

Midoriya Izuku had always been fascinated with quirks, and the heroes who wielded them. Even the legends of gods blessing their children with their power, creating quirks. He kept detailed notes on every hero he could name: their quirks, the uses of the quirks, and even tried to connect their power to their respective god.

He was looking forward to the day his quirk would develop. His childhood friend, Bakugou Katsuki, didn’t put too much thought into the gods. Just to be the hero that comes out on top, who would always win.

Izuku would always follow Katsuki, even if the other child constantly made his dislike of Izuku clear. Izuku had a pretty good idea of which god had blessed the boy with his explosion quirk.

“Why do you keep your head stuck in your notebook and those dumb fairytale books?” He had asked one day.

“You never thought about how quirks are like powers of the gods, Kacchan?”

“Why would I? Gods aren’t real, just make believe. Only someone weird like you would still believe they’re real.”

Izuku couldn’t help but feel a certain pull to the myths of the gods. He had read every published book and online posting of them, from the major gods to the lesser known minor deities and nymphs. While he was interested in several pantheons, the Greek Gods called to him the most.

He also couldn’t help but see the small things that no one seemed to notice. The butterflies that were actually faeries. A man with sandals on his hooves.

And his dreams. He could never really remember them with clarity, but he remembered fragments. Colors, shapes, voices. Sometimes he swore he saw an older version of himself. Sometimes he would see an older version of Kacchan, who looked furious and was always yelling something Izuku could never remember. More often than not, he saw other people. A girl who could float, a boy who ran as fast as the wind, a boy who looked so cold and lonely, covering the left side of his face as if in shame.

At times he would dream of All Might. But Izuku thought he was just an overactive fan who couldn’t help but dream of the amazing number one hero. He couldn’t really explain the deathly thin man he saw at times either. With a shock of blonde hair and piercing blue eyes seemingly glowing from his gaunt face. He didn’t appear often in the dreams, but when he did, it was usually after All Might had performed an amazing heroic deed that was broadcasted on the news. The contrast between the towering, muscular All Might and the skeletal man was….jarring, to say the least.

Other times, he would dream of U.A. Within those dreams, he loved exploring the school’s hallways. It was here that he most often encountered others, along with a scruffy looking man, an old yet kind woman, and many other adults. Said dreams only fueled his desires to attend U.A, to become a hero.

It came as a devastating shock to Izuku when he was told he was quirkless. His hopes and ambitions, crushed because he didn't have a quirk.

Bakugou had jumped on this new information, telling others that Izuku was a worthless dreamer, who didn’t have a quirk, and thought that gods existed. Before long, everyone had gone with it, and Izuku was bullied relentlessly. Bakugou was the worst of the bullies that plagued Izuku, even going so far as to use his explosion on Izuku, leaving his clothes with burn marks and his skin bruised.

His mother always showed concern whenever Izuku came home with those burns and bruises, but Izuku always did his best to reassure her. It was nothing she could fix anyways.

Despite all of this, Izuku still aimed to attend U.A, and still believed in and researched the gods. His mother had given him a notebook once, and he filled it with analysis of heroes, their quirks, and what god they may be attached to. Soon he had filled that one, then a second, a third, and so on. He made sure to take extreme care of his notebooks, fearing what may happen if he let them out of his sight. He took them with him to school, filling in their pages during breaks and lunch, along with reading the news and various threads talking about heroes, even a few speculating what All Might’s quirk may actually be.

It was toward the end of middle school that he would find out, and his life would change forever.

That morning, he had seen a villain attack on the way to school. The villain in question was apparently a purse snatcher out of control. Kamui Woods and Backdraft had been the first to respond, but a new hero, named Mount Lady, had shown up at the end to defeat the villain.

Izuku spent the rest of the day wondering about her quirk and what god it was connected to. Perhaps one of the titans? Or was it an uncommon interpretation of Demeter’s status as the goddess of growth? Though it could have come from another pantheon.

“Oh yeah, Midoriya wanted to go to U.A too, right?”

Izuku wasn’t sure who said it, but that pulled him out of his thoughts. The class had erupted into their usual mockery and jeers. Bakugou had threatened him, blowing up his desk and telling him not to enter U.A.

Izuku tried to not let it get to him, and he was mostly successful. Until after school.

Bakugou had approached him as he was putting his things away, the last being his hero notebook. Bakugou had snatched the notebook out of Izuku’s hands and read the cover before he started going through the pages.

“For the Future?” Bakugou scoffed, quoting the title of the notebook that had been written in large, yet neat handwriting, “like you even have one!” he laughed- but in a way that made Izuku feel sick to his stomach- as he activated his quirk with the prized notebook in hand, scorching the pristine pages. He tossed the charred notebook out the window and laughed as he walked out.

“If you really want to be a hero,” He turned his head back just before stepping through the open door, “hope you’ll be born with a quirk in the next life, and take a leap of faith off the roof!”

Izuku struggled to keep his tears from streaming down his face as he dejectedly left the classroom and walked down the flight of stairs, to retrieve his notebook that had somehow landed in the koi pond, where the fish already began to pick at the book, as if it was only worth being used as fish-food. He sighed deeply as he plucked the book out of the pond and away from the fish, grateful that the water hadn’t ruined the ink inside.

After airing out the notebook. Izuku packed it away in his backpack and started his walk home.

_‘I want to be a hero...that’s been my dream ever since I was little. I already made up my mind, even after the doctor told me I was quirkless. I just...have to work hard. Yeah...I can be Heracles! And this is just one of my labors...if I can get past this, I can be a hero! Heracles started out mortal, but he became a god and hero...so we’re kind of similar…’_

Izuku was so absorbed in his thoughts that a sound behind him made him jump. Turning, he saw a mass of sludge glaring at him, muttering something before lunging at him. Izuku struggled, desperately trying to fight his way out before he drowned in the sludge.

All Might had saved him.

He didn’t realize it until he passed out and woke up, but he just became so excited because All Might saved him, and autographed his notebook.

_‘Oh! Since All Might is here...maybe I should ask him…’_

Seeing that All Might was about to leave, Izuku panicked and flung himself onto All Might, holding onto the hero for dear life as the wind howled in his ears and the city passed in a blur below him.

Izuku was grateful that All Might had noticed him and stopped on a nearby rooftop. Izuku felt as though he would’ve died if he held onto the hero for much longer.

“Um, All Might…” Izuku started after taking a deep breath, looking down at his feet, “do you think it’s possible for someone like me, with no quirk...to become a hero? Because I don’t have a quirk...I’ve been teased and bullied for it…. But, I think it’d be amazing…to help and save people like you do. I want to be able to save people with a smile, like you!”

Looking up, he saw that the larger than life hero had been replaced by a thin man with a gaunt face.

“A-All Might?!” Izuku cried out in shock, “Wh-what happened?!”

_‘Wait...he looks like...the man from my dream…’_

Izuku watched him sit down. The man lifted his shirt, revealing a wound that stretched down the right side of his torso.

“This is a wound I got five years ago...to be honest, I was blessed that I didn’t die. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t suffer any repercussions. My stomach was removed and parts of my respiratory system are irreparably damaged. My emaciated, haggard appearance and even the way my eyes look are side effects. Thanks to this wound, I can’t work for more than three hours a day as a hero.”

Izuku could only stare at the man with shock and disbelief.

“Young man, what I just told you was never released to the public. I ask that you not tell anyone this. But, when I smile, it’s to show the villains and the other forces of evil that I won’t bow down to them. When I laugh, it’s to ease the pressure of being the Symbol of Peace. So, given the danger we heroes face...I don’t think it would be right of me to say you can be a hero.”

Izuku felt his heart sink. He looked down at the ground and felt it drop into the pit of his stomach and dissolve.

“...I see…” Izuku finally managed to get out. He couldn’t bring himself to look up at his idol as All Might stood up and headed for the rooftop’s door.

“If you want to save people, you could also be a policeman. There are professions where you could help others without being a hero. It isn’t bad to dream, young man, but you also have to consider what’s realistic.”

Izuku was left alone on the rooftop. He stood frozen in place, still processing the words that made his heart hurt.

_‘Gods...what was I thinking…?’_

A distant explosion called Izuku’s attention from his thoughts. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw a thick cloud of smoke rise from somewhere in the city.

“A villain!”

Izuku turned and sprinted towards the door.

_‘“I don’t think it would be right of me to say you can be a hero.”’_

The words spoken to him just recently stopped him in his tracks. The excitement of being able to see heroes in action take down a villain had been replaced with overwhelming disappointment. Sighing, he opened the door and trudged down the flight of stairs back to the street. After he left the building, Izuku started his walk back home. His mother would be worried about him if he came home late. Out of habit, he reached behind himself into his backpack, taking out his notebook, and opening it.

_‘“He still can’t face reality, even though he’s already a third year in junior high.”’_

_‘“It’s time for you to think seriously about your future.”’_

_‘“You also have to consider what’s realistic.”’_

Izuku closed the notebook, looking at it bitterly.

_‘Even a top pro hero said it. Don’t cry!’_ Izuku told himself, wiping at his eyes to stop the new tears from falling, _‘You already knew, didn’t you? The reality. You knew. That’s why you were trying so desperately. You were just averting your eyes, not looking at reality.’_

Another explosion, which sounded extremely close by, grabbed Izuku’s attention from his inner turmoil of his reality. Looking up, he saw a crowd of people gathered in front of a shopping district entrance with police nearby.

“Is this where that explosion earlier was…?”

‘ _Wait, hang on, does that mean I came out of habit without noticing?’_

Izuku crossed the street and headed towards the crowd. He moved about in the back, looking for a decent spot to be able to see what was happening.

_‘Stop it. It’ll just feel meaningless right now. I shouldn’t even be here, I should-’_

Izuku’s thoughts came to a halt as he saw the villain. The villain being the sludge villain that had attacked him earlier.

_‘Wait, why is that guy here?! Did it get away from All Might?!’_ Izuku recalled All Might capturing the villain in an empty bottle and putting it away in one of his pockets. _‘No...did he drop it? If he did…’_

“...then it’s my fault…” Izuku whispered in horror. All Might probably dropped the bottle when Izuku had clung onto him.

_‘It’s my fault the villain is free…’_

“Hey, why aren’t the heroes doing anything?” A civilian asked.

“They can’t,” Someone replied, “Apparently the villain caught a junior high schooler. It’s been like that for a while.”

_‘What?! Caught…? It’s been like that for a while? How can they even bear that suffocation? I thought I’d die after a few seconds…’_

“Anyway, wasn’t that the villain All Might was chasing earlier?”

“All Might? No way! He’s here?”

“Yeah, I think I saw him earlier.”

“Seriously?! Then what’s All Might doing?!”

As the murmurs from the crowd rose and blended into a buzz, Izuku clamped his hands over his mouth and felt sick.

_‘It’s all my fault… He can’t do anything! He can’t catch the villain… All we can do is wait for a hero with a more suitable quirk! Please, do your best, heroes! I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…! Help will arrive soon… Someone...a hero…’_

Izuku watched the victim the villain had caught struggle. He felt guilt twist his stomach into knots. They were struggling against this villain because Izuku had made All Might drop the bottle holding him. Since Izuku was in the back, he didn’t have a good viewpoint of the victim, but their hair...was familiar to him. Looking closer, Izuku caught fierce red eyes look to the crowd.

Izuku realized it was Bakugou. Bakugou had been caught and was struggling to escape. In the eyes that looked at Izuku with animosity, hate, superiority, there was something new there, Something that made Izuku freeze for a split second.

In Bakugou Katsuki’s eyes was fear. Desperation. Helplessness. He was asking for help.

Izuku dropped his notebook and shoved his way past the crowd. He ran past the pro heroes and headed straight for the villain. He kept running even as the heroes yelled for him to stop. Izuku ran into the burning shopping district as fast as he could.

_‘Why did I run out? What am I doing? Why?! What do I do? What do I do at a time like this?’_

Izuku’s hero notebook came to mind.

_‘Page 25: Pre-emptive Binding Lacquered Chain Prison: Quickly stretch out arms (vines) to make the opponent flinch back and then use that opening to restrain them.’_

“Take that!” Izuku yelled as he flung his backpack towards the villain. The villain had moved back a little, which shifted the concentration of his sludge from holding Bakugou to moving, freeing Bakugou’s face. Izuku felt relief when he saw Bakugou cough and breathe in gulps of air.

“Kacchan!” Izuku called out, trying to claw his way to Bakugou through the sludge.

“Why the hell are you here?!” Bakugou yelled.

“My legs moved on their own! I don’t know why though!”

As Izuku’s clawing became more frantic, a whirlwind of thoughts crossed his mind. But he couldn’t focus on those now. Even though he was useless, even though he didn’t have a quirk, he wanted to help. He wanted to help Bakugou, who had bullied him and made the past few years of his life hell. When he saw Bakugou look at the crowd, he knew he had to do something.

“You looked like you were asking for help…” Izuku said, tears in his eyes and fear in his heart as the sludge under his hands moved and towered above him. The villain raised a hand, and Izuku closed his eyes, preparing himself to be struck down.

There was never an impact that came from the villain.

“I really am pathetic,” A familiar voice said.

Izuku opened his eyes and stared in awe of the person in front of him. “All Might…” he breathed.

“Even though I admonished you, I wasn’t putting what I said into practice!” All Might said as he ripped his arm free from the sludge, “Pro heroes are always risking their lives!” He declared, ignoring the blood that came from his mouth as he spoke. He quickly grabbed Bakugou’s wrist and wound up his other arm.

“Detroit...SMASH!”

In a single hit, the sludge villain was, literally, blown away, freeing Bakugou from its hold. In that same punch, the massive wind pressure generated from it had extinguished the fires, only to be followed by rain from the clouds above.

Izuku felt a few drops fall on his face, and then the world went black.

_______________________

Izuku is in a city, from what he can tell. He sees other people; among them, he recognizes one as the boy who runs as fast as the wind. He’s standing over a pile of metal. He says something, but Izuku can’t hear him, only see his lips move, before the boy runs off. Izuku feels the ground shake, then sees a shadow loom over him.

He turns around to see a colossal robot stand over him.

_______________________

 

Izuku wakes up to various noises around him and a slight dampness in his clothes. Blinking, he sees he’s still in the shopping district. A few feet away, he sees the police tossing large trash bags into the back of a police holding car. He can hear some camera shutters and reporters talking somewhere behind him.

As soon as the heroes notice he’s awake, Izuku is taken to the side and scolded by Death Hands and Kamui Woods. He avoids looking them in the eye, feeling embarrassed that he probably- no, definitely, he corrects himself- complicated the situation. If he had waited a bit longer before acting on his stupid instincts, another hero would’ve shown up and dealt with the sludge villain. Beyond the scolding, he could see Bakugou some feet away from him. From what Izuku could hear, Bakugou was being praised for fighting back with his quirk, and how his quirk was so powerful and impressive. It annoyed Izuku a bit, but they were right. Bakugou did well to fight for as long as he did.

Izuku is let go soon enough. The heroes and police allow him to collect his things that had scattered from when he threw his backpack before walking home.

Walking home, he heard people talk of the shopping district incident excitedly. How brave the junior high schooler was for fighting back against the villain with his strong quirk, how All Might had taken down the villain and put out the fire in a single punch.

Izuku walked for what felt like hours until he recognized the streets of his neighborhood. He allowed himself to run on muscle memory as he let himself think.

_‘I wanted to apologize to All Might, but he was still being interviewed...I’ll try sending him a message on his website when I get home… I wonder what that dream was. Why a robot? And that boy was there too…’_

“Deku!”

“Kacchan…?” Izuku said as he turned around to see Bakugou running towards him. He watched Bakugou stop and pant before Bakugou clenched his fists.

“I never asked you for help! And you didn’t help me! Got it?! I was fine by myself! You’re a quirkless failure playing without a full deck! Don’t think you can look down on me! Are you trying to make me owe you?! Don’t you dare look down on me!” Bakugou yelled, turning on his heel, “You damn nerd!” he yelled over his shoulder, walking away from Izuku.

Izuku stared at Bakugou’s slouched figure for a few moments before letting out a breath.

_‘It’s just as Kacchan said. It’s not like I accomplished or changed anything. But, I’m glad. Now I can go on and think of a realistic future…’_

“I am here!”

Izuku flinched back in surprise as a familiar figure suddenly appeared before him. “A-All Might?! Why are you here? You were surrounded by reporters just now…”

“Getting away from them was a piece of cake,” All Might laughed, “Why? Because I am All-” All Might was interrupted by himself as he transformed back to his emaciated self, coughing up blood as he did so. Izuku waited for All Might to stop coughing.

_‘He really does look like the man from my dreams...so this is All Might’s true form then…’_

“Young man. I come with thanks, a correction, and a suggestion,” All Might started, “If you hadn’t been there… If you hadn’t told me about your life… I would’ve turned into a guy in a bodysuit who was all talk. Thank you.”

“That can’t be…” Izuku objected, “It was my fault in the first place. I got in the way of your work, and I said all those impertinent things even though I’m quirkless…”

“That’s right. It was because it was none other than the timid, quirkless you at the scene that I was able to act. Top heroes have stories about them from their school days. Most of those stories have one thing in common: their bodies moved before they had a chance to think.”

Izuku looked at All Might in awe before he looked down to the ground, trying to hold back tears.

_‘“I’m sorry, Izuku! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”’_ Izuku remembered his mother’s tearful apology. He clutched at his chest as he bent over, fighting back the tears that were threatening to escape his eyes.

“That was true for you, too, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah…” Izuku choked out, his tears now falling from his eyes onto the pavement below him. He was overcome with a number of emotions he couldn’t name that he fell to his knees, crying out in choked sobs.

“You can become a hero.”

Izuku let the words echo in his head as he sobbed in front of his hero. Those five words were what he’s wanted to hear for so long. To hear them from the number one hero; from All Might himself...Izuku would treasure this moment for as long as he’d live.

“And young man, because of your actions...I’ve decided you’ll be the one who will inherit my power.”

Hearing All Might say that made Izuku look up, tears streaks fresh on his face, eyes red and blotchy from crying. “Huh?”

“Tell me, young man, how do you think quirks came to be?”

Izuku stood up, brushing the dust and dirt off his knees. He stared at All Might, not entirely sure if he should answer. Taking his silence as a form of “I don’t know,” All Might continued.

“Some time ago...before the world was as developed as it is now, gods existed. They had children, who became known as demigods. But as time passed, people stopped believing in them. Though you must know, the gods are not dead. They’re still alive; moving about and establishing their new Olympus wherever they decide to stay.”

“The gods...are real?” Izuku breathed.

“Yes. I know that might sound strange-”

“I knew it… I knew it!” Izuku blurted out, “I always thought that, maybe, they were still alive! I even thought that quirks were related to them, trying to figure out which god had blessed someone with their quirk!” Catching All Might looking at him, Izuku blushed and looked away, “S-sorry, I interrupted you…”

“It’s alright, young man. Knowing that you believe in them does make this somewhat easier,” All Might assured Izuku before continuing, “Gods are the ones responsible for the rise of quirks. Their powers manifest in different ways in their offspring, and their offspring, in turn, pass on their blessing-their quirk- into a new variation of the quirk. Tell me, do you sometimes see things that others don’t notice?”

“Uh, yeah...I’ve seen faeries, a satyr...oh! Um, I don’t know if this will sound strange, but, I have dreams where I see into the future.”

“Dreams of the future?”

“Yeah. Sometimes I’ll see myself, or Kacchan, or a few other people. I’ll be walking in the halls of U.A., or...actually,” Izuku lets out a nervous laugh, “I’ve seen you in my dreams as well. Even this form of you. I never really knew it was you though...my dreams are a little disjointed, and sometimes I can’t really remember them.”

“I see...you can see through the mist…”

“Mist?”

“You know that most of society doesn’t believe in something like gods and goddess; things they consider to be the stuff of fairytales. It would cause panic if they saw that it was real. So the gods created a veil that obscures them from seeing. We call it the mist.”

“Ah...but, All Might, why are you telling me this…?”

There was a moment of silence that stretched between them, the gentle breeze blowing leaves from nearby trees down. The setting sun dyeing the scenery a burning orange made the world around them feel otherworldly.

Izuku blinks as a leaf drifts past his eyes, and the thin man is no longer in front of him.

Standing in his place is the familiar muscular form of All Might. Yet, he appears to be surrounded by some aura. Izuku isn’t sure if he’s seeing things, or if the sunlight is playing tricks on him, but All Might seems to glow. He looks ethereal; even the small amount of blood that drips from his mouth is different. It’s golden, shimmering in the late sun.

“Because, young man, I am one of them. I am a god.” 


	2. hard work and blessings

“You’re...you’re a god?!”

“Yes. Honestly, I’m a minor god. But I was recognized by the major gods, so I have a status similar to gods such as Athena, Apollo, Hermes, and such.”

“All Might...a god...I mean, I suppose it makes sense, given how you’re the number one hero, and are incredibly strong. I was theorizing which god may have given you your quirk, but if you’re a god, then I guess you can…” Izuku muttered, going into his analytical state. Theories and observations passing through his mind.

“Hey, hey! That’s enough of that!” All Might said, bringing Izuku out of his thoughts.

“Sorry,” Izuku apologized, “it’s a habit…”

“Moving on, young man, I must tell you what my quirk is. My quirk is one that can be inherited; a quirk that is cultivated and passed down from generation to generation. A mass culmination of power from predecessors to the newest generation, like the passing of a torch. For it to even have existed, a god became mortal in order to share it with us. This power...is called One For All.”

Izuku could do nothing but stare in awe. He had never thought of a quirk that could be passed down. But for All Might to possess such a quirk in addition to his own…

“But...why would you pass down such an amazing quirk to someone like me?”

“Because, I’ve finally found someone I believe is worthy enough to inherit it. I’ve been searching for a successor for ages, and to see you: a quirkless mortal who is a fanboy of heroes, you acted when all pro heroes wouldn’t. You have the heart of a true hero! Not to mention, you still hold belief in the gods, can see through the mist, and even had a vision of my true form.”

Watery eyes threatened to release new tears, making Izuku wipe his eyes with his uniform sleeve.

“But still, young man, the choice to inherit my power or not is up to you.”

_‘To think All Might would tell me his deepest secrets...about his quirk, and him being a god…for him to choose me as his successor… what other choice would I make?’_

“Yes, I’ll do it!”

“An immediate reply. That’s what I expected!” All Might chuckled, “Alright, young man! We’ll start training in two days time. Meet me at Dagoba Municipal Beach Park bright and early, 6AM sharp.”

“Got it!”

“Then...what is your name, young man?”

“M-Midoriya! Midoriya Izuku!”

“Ok, young Midoriya, until we meet again!”

And just as suddenly he appeared, All Might was gone. Izuku stared at the spot that was occupied by All Might in a daze before moving his legs and walking home.

“I’m home,” he called out as he opened the door.

“Welcome home, Izuku! Did you hear about the shopping district incident? All Might appeared!” His mother called from the kitchen.

“I know,” Izuku replied as he walked to the kitchen where his mother was. “I was there.”

“Were you careful?”

“Yeah, mom.”

“Good, good. How was your day, sweetie?”

“It was ok…”

Hearing Izuku’s trailing words, Midoriya Inko looked up at her son.

“Izuku, did you have a hard time at school?”

“It’s not that. I mean-“

“Sweetheart…”

“I mean, it was pretty normal, you know? Um! I met All Might today!” Izuku stammered, desperate to change the conversation.

“...did you now?”

“Yeah! He even signed my notebook! He’s so cool, mom! The way he blew away that villain with a single punch, like, pow!” Izuku imitated the punch and added his own sound effect, “it was so cool!”

“So you were there at the shopping district?”

“Y-yeah… I was careful, I swear!”

“Alright, Izuku,” Inko smiled fondly at her son, “go wash up and we’ll have dinner.”

“Ok!”

Setting his backpack down in his room and washing up, Izuku enjoyed a calm dinner with his mom.

_‘Two days until I start training with All Might. Mom is going to want to know why I’m taking up exercise all of a sudden…’_

“Hey, mom?”

“Hm?”

“I’m thinking...about starting to work out.”

“Working out?”

“Yeah. I mean...I’m pretty scrawny, so...and having a set schedule is a good thing. Working out has a lot of positive benefits!”

Inko looked at her son and thought about his words.

“Why, dear?”

“Well...like I said, I’m scrawny...and I want to go to U.A., so there might be a physical fitness test.”

“Okay, sweetheart. When will you start?”

“Two days from now, at 6 in the morning.”

“So early? Well...just be careful, okay?”

“I will. Thank you, mom.”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

_______________

Izuku found himself walking the halls of U.A. again.He still couldn’t believe he was here, even in his dreams. If he didn’t make it, Izuku would be content with his dreams of himself walking in its halls. That would be enough; it’d hurt that he couldn’t go there in reality, of course, but he was happy enough with his dreams of the school.

The school melted away. Izuku found himself facing robots similar to his previous dream. Bakugou was standing a few feet in front of him, breathing heavily with a wicked grin on his face, his hands smoking. Izuku backed up, slightly afraid that Bakugou would see him. Looking around, he saw various other students pass by him.

The boy with split colored hair ran past him, leaving a trail of frozen robots in his wake. Izuku stared after him in awe, but saw that the boy’s right side was beginning to freeze. His movements were slightly clipped, and his breaths came out in puffs. Izuku followed him, raising an arm out to stop the boy.

“Hey...are you alright?” Izuku asked, only for his arm to pass through the boy. Izuku sighed; he shouldn’t have expected to be able to do anything. This was another future dream, and he couldn’t interact with anything or anyone.

Oddly enough, the boy gripped the shoulder that Izuku had tried to grab. He looked around, eyes settling on where Izuku was standing.

“...who are you?” The boy asked.

“Huh? You...you can see me?” Izuku asked incredulously.

“Yes…? Why wouldn’t I? Who are you?”

“Um...I’m Midoriya! Midoriya Izuku!”

“Hm,” the boy hummed, his hand falling from his shoulder, “I don’t remember seeing you before I entered this area.”

“Area?”

“This is an obstacle course for the U.A. Sports Festival. I assumed you knew that, considering you’re here.”

Izuku looked down and saw that he was in a tracksuit of some kind. Thinking more about it, it made sense that besides the other kids, there were no adults nearby, and the kids were dressed in the same tracksuit he was in.

_‘So...does this mean I got to take the test? I passed? But, how far am I in my dreams that this is the Sports Festival…I don’t think I’ve dreamt this far ahead before...’_

“Move!”

Izuku flinched, moving out of the way of the boy, turning to see him freeze another robot that had snuck up behind Izuku.

“T-thanks…um, what’s your name?”

“You...you don’t know who I am?”

“Am I supposed to?”

“No, it’s just...thanks to my father, everyone pretty much knows who I am.”

“Your father?”

“Yes…” the boy’s face took on a dark look, “he’s...he’s Endeavor.”

“He is?!” Izuku exclaimed, shocked at the sudden revelation from the boy.

“I’m his son. Todoroki Shouto.”

—————————————

Izuku went about his day in a bit of a daze. He made contact with someone in a dream. He wasn’t sure why or how, but it had happened. The boy with split colored hair, the scar on his left side, who always looked so cold and lonely, was the son of Endeavor, the number two hero. Sitting at his desk, he flipped to a page he had on Endeavor and added notes.

_ ‘Endeavor: Fire quirk. Has a son named Todoroki Shouto. Fire quirk = Hephaestus? Look into minor gods again for a type of fire connection, literal or symbolic.’ _

Humming contentedly to himself, Izuku turned the page and began to write.

_ ‘Todoroki Shouto. Quirk: Ice. Ice seems to be connected to right side of body. Son of Endeavor. Ice = Khioné? A possibility that fire quirk was inherited but weaker compared to ice quirk. Or fire quirk not inherited at all. Overuse of ice leads to frost forming on body, complicating movement and temperature dropping as result. More information to be added in the future.’ _

Izuku started to sketch out Todoroki on the page, idly listening to the world around him in case of anything. He picked up Bakugou yelling about something; most likely about the incident yesterday at the shopping district. Bakugou hadn’t approached him all day, Izuku noted, not even to bully him. It didn’t stop Bakugou’s friends from picking up the blonde’s slack, but they were nothing compared to Bakugou himself. But Izuku wasn’t going to wonder much; he was grateful for the break in bullying from his former childhood friend.

The day flew alarmingly fast, and Izuku walked home, excited for his training with All Might tomorrow morning.

____________

Izuku woke up at five and was out of his house ten minutes later. He dressed in sweatpants, an old shirt and his favorite pair of red sneakers, with a jacket tied around his waist. Izuku arrived at Dagoba Municipal Beach Park at 5:30, taking in the mounds of garbage that he was able to see thanks to the streetlights.

_‘Is the training going to involve the garbage? I mean, that would make sense...he’s probably going to build up my physical ability first.’_

Izuku made his way through the garbage, settling on an old mini-fridge to sit on. Thanks to the springtime weather, the early morning wasn’t too chilly that Izuku had to worry about wearing his jacket. He decided to kill time by browsing hero forums, skimming through the All Might Quirk Discussion forum briefly.

_‘It’s still surreal...All Might, a literal god among men. So does this mean other heroes are demigods? It makes sense, given the strength of their quirks and how smart they are in combat, but could there be actual gods like All Might among them? Would they be major gods or minor?’_

The early morning sun rose somewhere behind the mountains of garbage.

“Young Midoriya, are you here?” All Might’s voice called out.

“Y-yes! I’ll be right there!”

Izuku raced through the garbage in the direction he heard All Might call out to him. Tripping over a few pieces of trash, Izuku meets All Might in a small clearing amidst the sea of garbage.

“There you are! Are you ready to start?”

“Yes!”

All Might had Izuku start with basic warm-up exercises for the first hour. Afterwards, All Might pulled out some rope and tied it to a stray fridge that was nearby.

“Here,” All Might said, tossing the end of the rope to Izuku, “tie that around your shoulders and torso.”

Tying the rope around his upper body, Izuku started to pull against the weight of the old fridge. He could feel the slight movement of the fridge behind him, his feet digging into the sand from effort. Izuku felt that he had moved the fridge a few inches forward, before the fridge had stopped. He kept pulling, trying to move forward, only to be met with a now unmovable weight behind him.

“Hey, hey! This fridge is really comfortable! I’m glad you haven’t been able to move it yet!”

Looking back, Izuku saw All Might in his hero form sitting atop the fridge. Izuku took the chance to collapse on the sand and take in gulps of air. His muscles screamed at him, body now aching and on fire.

“C-come on, All Might,” Izuku asked between heaving breaths, “this isn’t fair. Aren’t you 277 kilos?”

“Nope! I lost some weight, so now I’m 255.”

“But, why are we here hauling trash?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You aren’t a vessel yet!”

“T-That’s the exact opposite of what you said to me!” Izuku yelled, feeling tears prick the corner of his eyes.

“You’re not understanding! At your current state, you’re physically unable to handle my quirk. If you were to inherit my quirk now, your body would explode, literally! Your limbs would fly off too!”

“It’ll what?!” Izuku nearly screamed. “Then, I’m picking up trash, in order to train my body?”

“That’s part of it. But,” All Might said as he jumped down from his seat on top of the fridge, “I found this park a few days ago on the net, and read how it was basically left to rot with trash it collects from currents. Hero work started out as community service before it became an actual profession and heroes started to be compensated for their work. Young heroes are all about doing what’s flashy these days, but I say we need to revisit the fundamentals!”

All Might put a hand on the fridge before crushing it under his hand as if it were cardboard. As his hand came down and slammed the ground, the force from it alone blew a small clearing, exposing a blooming sunrise along the horizon.

“Mark this day, Young Midoriya! Today is your first day of becoming a hero!”

“My first task...is to clean up…” Izuku trailed off, looking at the intimidating piles of garbage around him, “all of this?!”

“Young Midoriya, you’re planning on attending U.A., are you not?”

“Huh? O-oh, yeah! Because that’s where you went!” Izuku exclaimed. “I’m going to go...so I thought, it had to be U.A.”

All Might nodded, “And I’ve told you, you can’t do it without a quirk. It’s upsetting, but that’s the way it is. U.A is the hardest hero course to get into.”

“And there’s only ten months left until the entrance exams...so I need to become a vessel by then!”

“Right! So, that’s where this comes in!” All Might produced a small stack of papers from his jacket, “I came up with this: ‘Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan’! It’s a training plan to help you finish cleaning up the beach. I’ll have you following this plan in every aspect of your life!” All Might said as he passed the training plan to Izuku to look over.

“You even accounted for when I sleep…” Izuku muttered as he looked through the papers, “Every aspect of my life is pretty much planned here…” he chuckled nervously.

“Frankly, this is an extremely tough schedule to follow. Can you follow it?”

“Of course… I have to work much harder than anyone else, or else I can’t do it!”

“That’s the spirit! Now, let’s get back to work!”

__________________________

_‘I’m almost there...it’s almost over…’_

Izuku repeated this in his mind like a mantra. Training with All Might had basically been hell. He trained in the sweltering summer heat, humid rain, and added more to his regimen outside the training plan. Izuku had to account for the need to have a body capable of adapting to any situation, so he had included more into All Might’s training plan. So far, seven months had passed. Fall had come, and the lower temperature was a welcome change.

Izuku was running carrying an old mini-fridge as All Might went ahead of him on a segway scooter. Izuku felt the world spin and blur into a myriad of colors before his legs gave out. The fridge he was carrying clattered to the ground as landed face down onto the pavement.

“Hey, hey, what’s the matter?! There’s only three months left until the entrance exam! At this rate, you won’t be able to finish on time! You wanna take it easy today?!” All Might called out.

Izuku could barely manage to make his mouth move in response. He was exhausted to hell and back. His limbs felt numb and Izuku felt his face warm up from his breath he was panting out.

“The ‘Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan’ was made with your body type in mind, and to fully have you reach your goal within ten months’ time… You haven’t been following the plan, have you, Young Midoriya? Overworking yourself is only going to have negative effects on you! You want to pass, don’t you?!”

“I...I do…! But…” Izuku grit out, clenching his fists and raising his head to look up at All Might, “It’s not enough to just pass the exam. I need to work hard...a dozen times harder than anyone else…! If I don’t, I’ll stumble and fail, and waste all your hard work… I want to be a hero like you…” Izuku felt hot tears run down his cheeks, “I want to be as strong as the strongest hero!”

Through his tears, Izuku watched All Might stare at him for a minute or so before he transformed into his muscular hero form and lifted Izuku up from the ground with one hand.

“You go-getter! I’d be lying if I say I don’t like your commitment to this! But regardless of your intentions, it’s no good to try and rush something like this along. So don’t worry, this old man will revise the plan to accommodate your extra work!”

“Y-you’re not old…”

“My boy, I am a god. I’m certain I’m older than you realize!” The hero laughed, lowering Izuku so the boy could stand on his own again, “Now, let’s finish up your morning run!”

________________

It was the day of the entrance exam. Well, not entirely, it was only a little past midnight.

Izuku was at the beach park, working tirelessly to finish cleaning up the remaining trash. He was nearly done with the assigned area All Might instructed him to clean, but that didn’t feel like enough for Izuku. He had to work harder, and that meant going beyond what he was told to do. He had to prove himself that he was worthy of inheriting All Might’s quirk.

_‘Please, Gods, let me make it on time…’_

Izuku felt his shirt become damp from sweating so much, even spreading to his jacket. He ditched the two soiled tops and continued working bare-chested, determination and desperation in tandem fueling him to clean.

Hours that felt like years passed, and Izuku looked out over the now clear beach from the top of the trash pile he created. The sun was barely rising, slowly dying the pitch black night sky with soft blues and pinks. Izuku took out his phone and checked the time.

5:59 AM.

_‘I did it...I finished… I really finished…!’_

Izuku felt the cold morning air against his skin, watching the sun rise inch by inch from beyond the horizon. The water was reflecting the little light from the sun, glittering like stars in front of Izuku. He was so overwhelmed by the sight, his exhaustion, the fact that his training was finally over, and that he had managed to finish on time. There was a force that bubbled in his stomach, then spread its way into his heart. His body tensed as he looked up at the sky.

He opened his mouth and screamed at the top of his lungs. He screamed to the heavens until he couldn’t scream anymore. Breathing heavily, Izuku felt himself sway and fell towards the sand, too relieved and tired to care about if he broke something from the fall. He felt strong arms catch him, looking to see All Might in his hero form holding him.

“Good work,” the hero said, smiling at him.

“All Might...I did it…” Izuku responded, giving him a tired smile, “I did it!”

“Yeah, you surprised me, you little go-getter!” All Might said as he lowered Izuku down enough for the teen to stand on his own, “Here, take a look at this.”

Izuku looked and saw All Might’s hand holding a cell phone towards him. Izuku briefly thought of how the phone looked so comically small in his hand, but focused on the image on the screen. It was him, scrawny and crying.

“This is…”

“This is you, from ten months ago,” All Might stated, “You did well. You really did!”

Izuku agreed to an extent. He built up so much muscle that his old baggy shirts were now filled out thanks to his new muscular frame. His body was new and defined, a body of a fledgling hero. Izuku could only wonder how he could improve in the future to better himself.

“We’ve only just reached the faintest mirage of the path that lies ahead for you, but I can surely say, you’ve become a true vessel!”

“I…” Izuku raised a hand and looked down at it, feeling tears build in his eyes, clouding his vision, “I feel like I’ve cheated, somehow. You went so far for me, All Might…” Izuku wiped away tears in a futile attempt to stop crying, “I feel truly blessed…!”

Izuku felt All Might ruffle his hair, “Don’t cry, Young Midoriya. Be proud! There’s one last thing we need to do. Come on,” All Might said as he started walking towards the truck he rented for taking away trash.

“Y-yes sir!” Izuku quickly followed behind the hero.

The two sat in the truck, with All Might driving them away from the beach. The radio played at a low volume, with Izuku making out a random station that was playing some pop song. He was...really rusty when it came to current non-hero related trends. But he had never felt a need to know them anyways; he didn’t have friends to talk to about it, and he was content with his hero notebooks and keeping up with hero news.

The truck stopped and Izuku looked out the window. He recognized the U.A. building in the distance, but the small forest was new.

“All Might, where are we?” Izuku asked as he undid his seatbelt.

“Young Midoriya, do you remember what I said about the mist being able to obscure regular people’s sight?”

“Yes…?”

“We’re in an area that’s only accessible to gods,” All Might explained as he got out of the truck, “There’s an old shrine here. To regular people, this area looks like an ordinary building.”

“Seriously?” Izuku questioned as he stepped out of the truck, taking in the trees that loomed over him. Staring closely, he could see the tops of the trees shimmer, windows of an office building replacing where the trees stood.

“Follow me.”

Izuku followed behind All Might in relative quiet, save for the rustling leaves and their footsteps.

After some time, the two stopped in front of a shrine. It was a humble shrine, looking as if someone had built it themselves from the wood of the forest they were in. It was quiet, giving off an air of calm and gentleness. Izuku couldn’t understand, but he felt safe.

“This is the shrine that the original holder of One for All built. Since then, each holder has come to pay respects to them. And when they’ve found their new successor, this is where the inheritance of the quirk happens.”

“Wow…” Izuku breathed in awe, “Wait, do other heroes know this place?” Izuku asked.

“They do, but they pay it no mind. They think this is an old shrine of a long forgotten god, so we’ll be fine.”

Izuku felt a strange twang in his heart. He took a step towards the shrine, then another, and then another. He stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah...I’m fine. I just...I don’t know…”

All Might gave him a look before mild realization crossed his features, “We should hurry. You need to be on your way to U.A. for your exam!”

“O-Oh! Right!”

“Right. Young Midoriya, please kneel here in front of the shrine.”

Izuku did as he was told, kneeling on the ground. He watched as All Might knelt as well, bringing his hands together in prayer.

“Oh, God, who has blessed us with your gift, I thank you for your blessing and protection. But the time has come where I have found the next successor to your gift.” All Might said, resting a hand on Izuku’s shoulder, “I present to you, Izuku Midoriya, my successor. He is kind, insightful, hard-working, and intelligent. I believe he will carry on your continued legacy, and be a truly amazing hero. So I ask that you bless him, protect him, and guide him. May he flourish and grow under your power.”

Izuku felt a strange sensation throughout his body. He shivered from it, looking from All Might to the shrine. It stood above them, quiet; it made Izuku briefly recall a memory of his mother looking over him in bed at night, a gentle and warm smile on her face as she ran her hand over his head, singing a lullaby until he fell asleep.

“Now that I’ve presented you to them, I can officially pass on my quirk to you.”

Izuku turned to see All Might hold out a strand of hair.

“Eat this.”

“...huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments last chapter! All of us are really happy that you guys are into this, and we hope you continue following this work!! Oh, we have a discord server where you can hang out and just chill! https://discord.gg/2Wrcvbu

**Author's Note:**

> So, I just wanted to give a big thanks to my coauthors for helping me to write this! This au was a lot of fun to come up with, and it’s something I’m looking forward to sharing with all you!


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